Gymnastics Headline

Thursday February 23, 2012Gators Gymnastics Program to Receive a Major Upgrade in Offseason with Addition of a New Practice Studio

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A meet such as Friday
night’s tilt between SEC rivals Florida and Georgia at the O’Connell Center is
as good as it gets in college gymnastics.

The Gators are ranked No. 1 and Georgia enters tied at No.
3 in the country. Both programs are considered among the nation’s finest year
in and year out. Think Yankees-Red Sox or Cowboys-Redskins.

“These crowds are huge,’’ Gators freshman Kytra Hunter
said. “I remember my first home meet I was pretty surprised. Having thousands
of people clapping for you is great.”

Making
their high-flying skills look so easy takes much work by the Gator Gymnastics
team.

It is
our goal to give Gator Gymnastics the opportunity to train to be the best; a
new state of the art training facility will help make this a reality. You too
can help make this possible by making a charitable gift in support of Gator
Gymnastics. For more information contact Gator Boosters, Inc. at
352-375-4683 x5000.

What has separated the Gators from other top programs in
recent years is their practice studio.

That is about to change.

The University Athletic Association has approved plans to
begin a massive renovation of the gymnastics studio located on the north side
of the O’Connell Center starting in April.

The upgraded studio will provide Florida head coach
Rhonda Faehn with a facility that will rank among the finest in the country
when completed. Current plans call for the project to be finished by the end of
2012.

“From our perspective, it gives Rhonda a chance to
practice in a state-of-the-art facility,’’ said Chip Howard, UF’s senior
associate athletics director for internal affairs. “Right now she probably has
the smallest practice studio in the SEC. It also provides a safety factor.
She’ll have about an additional 6,700 square feet to work with.’’

To make room for the expanded space, the outside wall of
the O’Connell Center’s north side will be removed and the building extended,
marking the first time in the O’Dome’s 31-year history that a structural wall
has been knocked down.

Once completed the new facility will feature more than
18,500 square feet and for the first time in the program’s history, the coaching
offices and training rooms will be located in the same place.

The coaches currently occupy offices on the O’Connell
Center’s lower level which is also the location of the training room.

“Right now everything is kind of spread out,’’ Howard
said. “All the support staff is going to be right there for them. It’s going to
be one-stop shopping.”

In her 10th season leading the program, Faehn is
understandably excited about the prospects of the new practice studio. It will
feature high-definition video recorders and monitors at each workout station to
allow the coaches and athletes to receive instant feedback on practice routines
similar to what the National Training Center features.

The new facility will also have seating and an
observation deck for recruits and their parents when on recruiting visits.

“We’re very happy with what we’ve had, but it’s time to
get updated and renovated and we need more space,’’ Faehn said. “It’s going to
be brought into modern times. It’s going to be one of the largest gyms in the
country and one of the most up-to-date.

“We’re of course extremely honored and thrilled and
thankful to the UAA and to [athletics director] Jeremy Foley and [senior
associate athletics director for women’s sports] Lynda Tealer and everyone who
is helping make this happen for us.”

In addition to more space and upgraded technology, the
new practice facility will also include:

Work is expected to begin on the project in April and be
completed in time for next season.

“At the end of the day I think it’s really going to help
her in recruiting,’’ Howard said. “It shows the commitment that the gymnastics
program has at the University of Florida to go along with all the other selling
points. Now you put a state-of-the-art facility together and it’s really going
to help.”